Hiasobi
by Tsukashi
Summary: Sakura’s mission is interrupted by Itachi’s interference. What will she do when he decides that he has an interest in her? ItaSaku Rated M for violence, language, and adult situations
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto nor lay any right upon the original story and/or characters contained therein.

_Rated **M** for Mature for strong language and sexual situations. Subject matter contained within this story is** not** suitable for all ages. _

**Notes - **A lot of the Ita/Saku fans out there have probably read this over on AFF previously, but I have finally gotten around to learning to use my account to upload stories. This is my first multi-chapter story, so provided I have no problems figuring out how to add extra chapters, I will add ch2 right away too. Chapter 3 is coming along slowly. I have been doing some major home renovations and have not had a lot of time to write. I do have most of the chapter plotted out, now is just a matter of fleshing it in.

**Chapter 1**

Her green eyes glared at him from beneath her disheveled pink hair. If he were a weaker man, he would have sworn he could see his death in those eyes that had seemed so lost and scared just moments before. She stood in a defensive stance with only a single kunai clenched in both fists, but her eyes were what were really holding his attention.

He could feel Kisame behind him chomping at the bit for a piece of the action. He hated to be excluded from the fighting. Itachi held up one hand in an offhand gesture that stilled his companion, never taking his eyes from the girl's unwavering glare.

He took a step forward, "Move aside. I have no desire to kill you."

"You will have to go through me to get to Sasuke," her tone was definitely defiant.

"You will die."

A small enigmatic smile graced her lips. "Is that a challenge, Uchiha?"

It was his turn to smile. So, she thought she could stand against THE Uchiha Itachi? Her chin jutted out gesturing towards Kisame, "Tell him not to interfere. This is between you and me." Itachi arched an eyebrow at her; she really _did_ believe she could stand against him. "And I want your promise that if I win, you will leave Sasuke in peace."

A surprised laugh escaped Itachi and Kisame frowned. It was the rare to hear Itachi laugh. "Hai, hai you have my word as an Uchiha," his look turned stony, "If you can beat me." Sakura could not wait to wipe that smug smile from his face. She had not trained under Tsunade for 3 years to find Sasuke only to have him ripped away by Itachi right after she found him. "But are you sure that is Sasuke?"

"Huh?" Sakura looked at him in confusion. "Of course it is Sasuke! What kind of mind fuck are you trying to use on me?"

"Orochimaru did not spend the last 3 years shaping him into who he is today for no reason, ninja girl." Sakura bristled, Itachi smirked, "He could have already taken Sasuke's body over." Itachi did not mention the fact that he and Kisame were there to make sure that Orochimaru had not done just that.

"Enough!" Sakura yelled, "Sasuke would not have allowed that to happen." It was her turn to smirk, "after all, _you_ are still alive." Having said that, Sakura dropped to one knee, punching the ground in front of her causing both men to jump out of the way of the giant fissure her punch had caused.

Itachi let out a pleased smile, this girl would put up more of a fight than he had previously thought. Channeling more chakra to his sharingan, they began to whirl slowly as he analyzed her movements, reading ahead.

After exchanging a flurry of blows not visible to the untrained eye, both jumped back, eying the other for the next move. Sakura had a wound on her shoulder, her dress was slashed, and blood ran down her arm. Itachi would have a black eye by tomorrow, as well as various other small cuts and bruises which both sported after the close combat.

Itachi decided to up the stakes a bit, but Sakura was experienced with fighting the sharingan, having sparred with Kakashi-sensei on many occasions. She used the jutsu he had taught her, in case she would need to use it against Sasuke. The same one Kakashi had copied on the Great Naruto Bridge fighting Zabuza.

Mist began to slowly fill the clearing becoming so thick that you could barely see your hand in front of your face. Sakura quickly relocated while forming a summoning jutsu. Calling forth Yasashii, a human sized slug, she performed henge-no-jutsu on it, transforming it into a duplicate Sakura. Sakura had been perfecting this jutsu for some time, so she and Yasashii were quite comfortable with one another. A silent understanding passed between the two.

Sakura moved stealthily through the mist, in reality only maybe 30 seconds had passed and she was sure that Itachi would make a move soon. Suddenly she heard his voice ring out, "Grand Fireball no Jutsu." It seemed to echo off of the trees and her mist dissipated burned away by the giant ball of flame emitted from Itachi's mouth.

Sakura threw a series of shuriken at him which he effortlessly knocked out the air with a kunai held in his hand. This time Itachi attacked appearing behind Sakura, who quickly blocked his punch with arms crisscrossed. The blow still knocked her back several feet, leaving matching tracks where her feet skidded across the grass. Before Sakura could react, he was in front of her punching her below her guard. She doubled over as his arm sank halfway up his forearm into her soft midsection.

He felt the satisfactory warm ooze of fluid on his arm a moment before he realized that it was not blood, but slug slime his arm was coated in and Sakura was dissipating into hundreds of small slugs, who were quickly retreating. _What a shrewd girl._ She knew enough about the Sharingan to know that it read chakra and that it would see through a normal henge or shadow clone. She must have spent grueling hours working with that slug to get their chakra patterns to match so closely.

He didn't know that Sakura was close friends with a certain shy girl who was able to utilize Byakagan, a technique able to read even further into the chakra patterns than even the Sharingan. Sakura's technique had never fooled Hinata, but had impressed the girl nonetheless. Although Yasashii had only proved a short distraction, it bought Sakura a much needed advantage.

Itachi straightened slightly when he felt a prick of a kunai at his neck. Kisame watched in amusement. This girl had Itachi on his toes in a way he had not seen in quite some time. "Don't move," her breath hissed in his ear, a feeling of triumph filled her being. She had one of the most powerful men in Konoha, maybe the world, at her mercy. The feeling was exhilarating, but she did not revel in it. She was torn. Sasuke was still unconscious. If he awoke to find that Sakura had not only stolen him from Orochimaru's home, with Naruto's help of course, but also had taken his revenge from him… She felt herself wavering. Itachi stood impassively; she seemed to be fighting some inner battle.

Mind made up, she reached up to knock Itachi unconscious with a quick blow to his head, but before she could finish raising her arm, she was disarmed and staring into the depths of the most powerful sharingan unleashed this side of hell.

She found herself suddenly in the grips of his spell. The world around her faded and was replaced by a world of contrasting colors. Red, black and staunch white. Suddenly he was in front of her, and she felt that she was bound, unable to move. He began to speak to her in a monotonous voice.

"You are in my world now. For the next…,"

His voice was cut off for a moment by a familiar voice that somehow did not fit in this world. "Sakura-chan, fight it!"

"Naruto?"

Naruto had been scouting the area ahead, while Sakura watched over Sasuke's unconscious body. He had arrived at the scene noticing first the towering Kisame whose attention was riveted elsewhere. _Shit!_ He cursed mentally. He rushed forward seeing Sakura standing close enough to Itachi to touch him, her gazed locked on his. _Double shit!_ He was stopped by the grey man's arm and their eyes locked. A message passed between them, _'you will have to get through me first.'_

Naruto, having had a taste of Kisame's abilities firsthand, decided to stand down for a moment while he thought up a plan. But being Naruto, he could not stop his shout. "Sakura-chan, fight it!" Kisame scowled at him and Naruto backed up to a safe distance. He could use his Kage-bunshin-no-jutsu, but Kisame still had that chakra eating sword. He had to find a way to separate that man and his sword. Then they would fight on Naruto's terms.

Meanwhile, Itachi was still droning on in Sakura's head, but she was not listening anymore. Inner Sakura had woken up. Since Itachi was not really in her mind, just hypnotizing her into believing he was, he didn't know what she was doing, just that she was awakening from his jutsu before he had released it, and nobody had _ever_ done that before.

Inner Sakura was ranting and raving, totally pissed. She tore the bonds that locked Sakura in place and she suddenly awoke from the jutsu. She swayed on her feet, dizzy from the jutsu, and mentally exhausted from shaking it off. She fell forward, collapsing against Itachi into unconsciousness. "Interesting," he murmured to himself.

"Kisame, we are leaving," his quiet voice carried across the clearing. Naruto's gaze riveted on Itachi who was still holding Sakura against his chest. In a fluid motion, Itachi scooped Sakura into his arms as if she weighed nothing and quickly disappeared into the trees.

Naruto was caught in a quandary. Which teammate did he protect? "Fuck!" he screamed out. He needed to go after Itachi, but that would mean he would have to fight Kisame, who had that damned sword which would eat up all of his chakra. Plus, he could not leave the unconscious Sasuke. He seemed to be under some sort of sleep jutsu since they found him, and getting him back to Konoha at top speed was priority. _'I am sorry, Sakura-chan. Hang in there until I can come after you with a full team of Jounin.'_ Naruto having made his decision scooped up both packs, and threw the unconscious pain in his ass over his shoulder and made tracks for Konoha as quickly as humanly possible.

Sakura awoke to find herself being carried like a sack of rice over somebody's strong shoulder. Her mind was fuzzy, she had wanted to stay unconscious, but her ninja instincts had forced her awake.

Remembering the events that led up to her being here she recalled that she and Naruto had been bringing Sasuke's unconscious body back to Konoha. According to what they had been able to deduce, Orochimaru had been preparing Sasuke's body to take it over, probably in the next day or two.

Orochimaru was at perhaps his most vulnerable when they had attacked. He must have had a hard time finding suitable replacements for the 5 ninja he had lost 3 years prior. For the ninja they encountered upon entering his base, had been easy to take out. The thought never occurred to them that they had improved _that_ much.

He had also been unconscious; they assumed that is was some sort of trance in preparation of the body transfer. Kabuto had been the biggest obstacle, but Naruto had already fought against him, and while Kabuto had grown a small amount, Naruto had made a huge leap in his skill level, as had Sakura.

When Kabuto had used his chakra scalpel attack, Sakura had jumped in front of Naruto and blocked it with her own chakra scalpel. The two medic nin fought, little zaps of light coming off the knives of energy. When he had sliced deeply into her leg with his weapon, Sakura fell, thrown off balance, and before she could get up, Naruto had jumped in.

"Your opponent is me. You and I, we have a score to settle, Kabuto."

Kabuto smiled and pushed up his glasses. "You have grown quite a bit Naruto-kun. I will not underestimate you this time around." But he had underestimated Naruto, and lost quickly.

The rest of the way was easy, and not many were left in the building, most fled after seeing the huge number of Naruto's enter the underground hideout. When they found him, he was resting in what appeared to be his bedroom. Medical supplies littered various surfaces of the room, and he appeared dead. Sakura had checked all his vitals, and he was actually in a comatose state. Probably some form of sleeping jutsu had been performed to keep him like this. They had argued over the body of Konoha's biggest enemy, but in the end, neither of them could cold-heartedly kill the bastard in his sleep. They both knew it was probably one of the biggest mistakes they would ever make, but neither could bring themselves to kill him.

They found Sasuke shortly after in some sort of medical lab. After Sakura had done an exam on him, finding him in the same state Orochimaru was in; they grabbed his body and fled.

After two days travel, Sasuke was still unconscious. Naruto's wounds had all healed, and he had insisted that Sakura use her healing jutsu to fix her leg as soon as they exited Orochimaru's lair. Sakura had argued that Naruto needed to be healed worse, but Naruto had given his trademark grin that now so resembled the fourth's grin and said he would be fine tomorrow. And indeed he was.

Having paused to make sure that they were still on the right track, Naruto had told Sakura to rest while he scouted ahead. He had been gone for roughly 20 minutes when she suddenly felt two strong presences close by. It had taken these scenes maybe a minute or two to flash through her mind, when she realized who carried her.

_Itachi!_ Finally her senses flashed to full alert and she began to struggle against the tired ninja. He had not rested since using a vast majority of his chakra to fight her, and had been carrying her for the last several hours.

Kisame's voice drifted to her, a hint of a menacing leer conveyed in each syllable, "I could carry her for awhile if you like, Itachi."

Sakura immediately stopped her struggles and breathed a sigh of relief when Itachi replied, "I don't think that will be necessary."

Sakura could just imagine the shark-man's face as he replied, "let me know if you change your mind." Cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Although of the two, Itachi was probably the stronger, the appearance of Kisame really unsettled her. And although Itachi was a cold blooded killer who followed his own agenda, she felt he was the lesser of two evils.

Kisame noticed Itachi's waning strength, and in an unspoken signal between the two of them, scouted a place for camp. After traveling together for so many years, the two men were able to hold entire conversations with body language.

Once a suitable location was found, Itachi dumped Sakura in an unceremonious heap at his feet. She found herself lightheaded from traveling for several hours slung over Itachi's shoulder. She quickly readied herself to make a break for it, but Itachi read her like a book. "If you try it, Kisame will be glad to bring you back, although I can't account for all of your limbs should that happen."

She glanced over at the quasi-human who had his hand on his wrapped sword and a grin on his face that spoke volumes. He wanted her to run so he would have a chance to maim her pretty skin. Sakura sat down dejectedly.

Kisame started a small fire while Itachi pitched two tents, which were in packs each carried hidden under their cloaks, while Sakura watched the sky deepen as night settled around them. Sakura was used to the sort of silence that enshrouded them from missions deep into enemy territory. The only sounds were the crackle of the fire and the hum of the forest around them.

Itachi raised his eyes questioning at the girl who had edged closer to him, normally people moved away from him, not closer. Her gaze was fixed across the fire and he suppressed a small smile when he saw that Kisame was eyeing her like a piece of meat. None but Kisame knew if it was a sexual or a sadistic interest he held in the girl, but she seemed to prefer Itachi to his partner.

Itachi handed her a ration of food, diverting her attention from Kisame's predatory gaze. She was looking down at her food so missed Itachi's slight frown and Kisame's apologetic smirk.

The two had yet to talk about Itachi's reasoning for kidnapping the girl. But Kisame trusted Itachi's judgment. Of the pair, Itachi was the more cool-headed and Kisame knew this. He trusted Itachi with his life and vice-versa. It was a bond built up between the two of them having fought together, bled together, and watched the lonely moon pass overhead for so many years. So Kisame did not question Itachi's decision. Itachi was not one to reveal his plans before he was ready to anyway.

Sakura tried not to squirm, she didn't understand how both of them had gone and relieved themselves and not realized that she would need to do the same. She had tried to ignore Kisame's gaze all night, but she felt as if he would bore holes straight through her. He was just waiting for her to run.

She had been giving off subtle hints, which she was sure that Kisame had noticed, but the asshole was not doing anything to help alleviate her discomfort. In fact, the prick seemed to revel in it. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Itachi gave her a frosty glare for interrupting the silence. She glared back.

It was not bad enough that he attacked their party, kidnapped her, but now she was sure that if she wanted to relieve the pressure on her bladder that he or, she shuddered, Kisame would watch her while she did it to be sure she didn't try to run away. She shifted again, and Itachi looked at her again in an irritated way. Inner Sakura started hurling curses at the dense man.

"I need to urinate." Her voice came out between clenched teeth, and she was sure she had heard a guffaw from across the fire. Her face flamed and her furious gaze riveted on the source. She was uncomfortable, angry, and she was not backing down from this staring contest, not when it was their fault she felt like this. A hand appeared in her line of vision, and her attention diverted to it. She stared dumbly for a moment, before following it up to his blank face.

She griped it with her left hand, and felt a bond of chakra form around her wrist. Releasing her hand, he led her into the forest, and turning his back to her, he allowed her to do her business as if he were walking a dog. 'This is so degrading,' Inner Sakura bit out, but finally finding relief, she did not complain aloud.

Bedtime provided yet another unpleasant surprise. She was sharing a tent with Itachi, who had handed off all of his and her weapons to Kisame in an obvious show of mistrust. She had to let out a small smile at that. He knew exactly where her mind had gone.

Once inside the cramped tent, he had performed an unknown jutsu and she noticed an aura of chakra enshrouding the tent as the jutsu took hold. She was sure it was effectively the same as a trip wire blanketing the tent, and if she should try to leave, he would know immediately. He had all ends covered, and she was left with no options to escape this night.

She reclined against the hard ground and felt the night chill begin to settle into her. She would not show any more weakness to this man than she already had. She lay there staring at the ceiling of the tent as the cold seeped further into her and a tremor passed through her frame. Sakura closed her eyes and cursed her lack of bodily control as another shiver racked her frame.

A slight rustle beside her caused her to open her eyes just as she felt the warmth of a blanket thrown over top of her. Shocked, she saw Itachi curling into his cloak, back turned to her.

Sakura snuggled further into the warmth, unwilling to wake, but her mind was not allowing her to go back to sleep. Something was wrong about this situation. Suddenly she realized she was curled around another person, arm thrown around his waist as she cuddled up to his back, he smelled nice. It took her mind another moment to figure out whose warm body she was curled against, and when she did, she quickly moved away, heart in her throat.

Itachi instantly awoke at the sudden movement beside him. Ninja instincts kicking in, he pinned her down. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment; Itachi noticed that her eyes were the most brilliant green with the filtered sunlight coming in through the tent. Sakura's cheeks began to redden at his close scrutiny, and she squirmed slightly in discomfort, causing a small shudder to wrack his frame before he silently rolled off of her. Sakura waited for him to exit the tent before moving, breathing a sigh of relief when he did, she was mortified at the whole situation.

Itachi stood outside the front flap of the tent for a moment collecting himself. He was used to having an erection in the morning, he was male after all, what he was not used to was waking up to a pretty ninja with intense green eyes in his tent, pressed against his back. Or the fact that when she was pinned under him, she unintentionally brushed up against said erection, causing a jolt of desire to rush through him. This was so unlike him, even the prettiest women were hard pressed to elicit any reaction from him. It was merely a case of coincidence; Itachi dismissed it from his mind.

When she emerged from the tent, he was calmly stoking the fire, no expression on his face. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, and found a place to sit and wait for breakfast.

After breakfast they set out, she wasn't told where they were headed, and silence reigned. The silence started to grate on her nerves. After having spent so many years in the company of Naruto, the silence was almost unbearable.

Naruto. She wondered if he was ok. Did he fight Kisame or Itachi? And what of Sasuke? Had he been brought back to Konoha safely? She knew that Naruto was strong and resourceful, and Kisame had no visible injuries, so she was hoping that they did not fight, and praying that he took Sasuke back to Konoha.

Knowing Naruto and his protective nature towards her, he would try to bring half of Anbu after Itachi to rescue her. Maybe she should just try to gather information and wait for Naruto to rescue her. But she had decided long ago that she didn't want to look at his back again, she would plan her own escape.

Kisame signaled a stop, and they paused for lunch. Sakura covertly examined Itachi's face. She had heard that he and Sasuke were like twins, but on her own examination, she disagreed. It must be that each resembled a different parent. Sasuke's face was softer and rounder, whereas Itachi's face was more angular and his skin tone was darker. They both had the same eyes and the same mouth, as well as the same cool demeanor. Cool was an understatement, it was downright frosty.

But she would be dead if she didn't notice how handsome he was. Those damned Uchiha good looks; it was unfair for one family to be blessed with such good looks. And it was not like the sharingan detracted from those looks either. If anything it added to the allure.

Mentally shaking herself, she forced her mind to focus on more important things like escaping a pair of ninja strong enough to take out an ANBU squad before breakfast. Thinking of which, dinner and breakfast had not been too great, hopefully lunch would be better. Her hopes were dashed when she was passed another dried ration.

She sighed as she tore a piece of meat with her teeth. Hopefully dinner would be better.

They traveled the rest of the day, stopping only to scout around the few times that they had felt other chakra signatures in the area. Sakura was warned to tamp down her own chakra signature _or else_. She knew that Kisame would slice and dice her before she could defend with no weapons, so complied.

When the afternoon sun began to wane, a signal must have passed between the two, because both stopped and camp was started. Kisame disappeared into the forest, while Itachi started the fire and pitched the tents.

Kisame re-emerged from the forest shortly thereafter with three fish and a container full of water. He handed a surprised Sakura the fish.

"Make dinner."

Inner Sakura raged, 'just who the hell does that shark bastard think he is talking to? I should burn that jerk's food!' Sakura did not show the inner smile that covered her face from ear to ear.

Sakura intentionally turned their food less than hers, letting it burn on one side, and undercook on the other. The problem was, she didn't want to be obvious about what she had done. She allowed her fish to burn slightly, but had set it slightly further back from the flame so it would not be too bad.

Heart in her throat, she feigned shyness, praying neither had noticed what she had done, both had been busy doing different things. "I am not too good of a cook," handing each of the men their fish. Kisame eyed the burned half, but didn't comment, it couldn't be as bad as Itachi's cooking.

He took a bite of his fish and choked a bit crunching on his burnt fish, but Sakura gained a bit more satisfaction with each crunch she heard; while she took a bite of her own fish, which was just slightly overdone. She almost broke out into a fit of giggles when Itachi bit into the less done side of his, and had a hard time biting through the rubbery undercooked fish. Inner Sakura was in tears she was laughing so hard; thankfully Sakura was able to school her expression to match Itachi's.

'That will teach Kisame for ordering me to cook. Got what he deserved!'

She felt herself drowsing off next to the heat of the fire. When a hand settled on her shoulder to shake her awake, she grabbed the wrist, jumping to her feet and bending it back in such a way that would force any ordinary person to their knees. Itachi extracted his wrist from her grasp as if it was nothing, and she glared daggers at him. He had a way of making her feel so weak and inconsequential.

"As much as I would love to stand here while you imagine killing me in various ways, I am tired," Itachi's tone was flat.

Sakura flushed slightly, she was a ninja, and she should school her reactions better than that. Having been a student of Hatake Kakashi, one would think she would be able to have a little better poker face. Damn this man for making her feel like a child.

Sakura crawled inside the tent, scurrying over to the corner so she would not have to come into contact with Itachi. He performed the same jutsu to seal the tent again. Maybe she would have to wait for Naruto to rescue her; she had yet to come up with a means of escape.

Itachi handed her his blanket again, which she gratefully took. There was already a chill in the air. Wrapping herself in it, she soon fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto nor lay any rights upon the original story and/or characters contained therein.

**Chapter 2**

Unsure of what had woken him, Itachi laid still; his senses were alert. He felt an arm wrap around his midsection and he bristled at the close contact. Glancing at her over his shoulder, he could see she was sound asleep and probably had no clue she had scooted up to him again. Lying still for a moment, he savored the feeling of another human body pressed against his, and the extra warmth her body provided before he decided it was time to wake her and make her scoot over.

Sakura awoke to find herself staring into a pair of deep, onyx, heavy-lidded eyes. She smiled at him before closing her eyes again. Sasuke-kun was so handsome.

Suddenly she bolted upright, almost knocking heads with him. "Excuse me, I'm sorry!" she said while shielding herself with the blanket and backing away. She averted her face in shame, hiding her blush.

Her heart hammered in her chest, and it was quite some time before Sakura fell back asleep. She could just kick herself for cuddling up to the enemy, literally…again.

Morning found Sakura bleary-eyed and crabby. Damn this man for kidnapping her, what the hell did he want anyway? It was not like she was politically valuable or had a bloodline limit, so why her damn it?

To make matters worse, the previous night's events kept replaying in her mind; she could almost die of embarrassment. She worried about her friends, as well as having that fish-face creep leering at her again. As she waited with arms crossed for them to set out for the day, the dark swirling aura around her was almost tangible.

Sakura's mind was working overtime to try to come up with a means of escape. A vague plan had formed in her mind: separate Itachi and Kisame, provoke Kisame to a bare-hand fight, kick Kisame's ass using taijutsu, grab her weapons from him, and then run like mad.

The problem was that the plan was just too vague. Not that she needed to have every single detail worked out, but how to separate them was vital. What would she say to provoke Kisame to throw down his sword? The intelligence she had on him told her that the sword would steal her chakra, leaving her in a precarious situation at best. If that were the case, it would stand to reason that it would be an ordinary sword if she weren't using her chakra. Thankfully her strength was hers without aid of chakra, so he couldn't rob her of that. But being drained of chakra ate away at all of the body's functions which was quite a dilemma. The only ways out were to fight him without the sword, or to fight from a distance.

The other problem was Itachi. If he caught up to her after fighting with Kisame, would she have the stamina left to fight him? She was good, but was she good enough to beat two Akatsuki members in one day? Logic told her no. Her only hope was fleeing. But would she be fast enough to get away? Sakura continued to turn it over and over in her mind, but no quick solutions were forthcoming.

They paused beside a stream to eat. Sakura tried hard to keep her attention off of the half-naked Itachi wading out into the stream to catch some fish. She hated him; he had caused so much strife in her life, and the lives of her loved ones. She did not notice how nice he looked when his hair had come loose of its customary ponytail, and she most definitely did not notice the droplets of water that splashed onto his bare chiseled chest as the fish squirmed in his hands.

Kisame quickly volunteered to cook the fish as Itachi walked back towards the small fire. Sakura had to avert her face to hide the smile as inner Sakura began acting up, 'Hell yeah, fool! That's what you get.' An inner victory dance started as she continued crowing, 'Yeah, you _go_ cook the food!' Sakura allowed her inner voice a few moments of freedom before squelching her back to silence. She had to focus on her escape plan.

She Sakura had thrown out her original plan, and was now contemplating her second escape plan. She just had to wait for the most opportune time to act like a frightened girl, fall against Kisame, and grab one of her weapons while slicing him in the process of taking it. Then… and then get her butt kicked by them as they ganged up on her. A small sigh escaped her.

By the end of the day, she was mentally exhausted from all the "failed" escape attempts. Itachi had gone to secure the perimeter around their camp and round up some dinner, leaving her alone with Kisame. She was thrilled.

Kisame had been itching for a chance to fight the girl who had almost bested Itachi. He loved to fight strong people and to get stronger. He was the more hot-blooded of the two, looking for fights when Itachi deemed them unnecessary. Experience told him that if Itachi interjected, there was good cause to listen.

"I'm surprised, ninja girl, after the fight you gave Itachi back there, I thought you would be more fun."

Sakura felt a small jolt of shock when he began speaking. There was nobody else around, so he was indeed speaking to her.

Sakura held no doubts that his idea of fun was she attempting to escape thereby allowing him a chance to try to hack off some body parts.

"I don't like your idea of fun," she replied.

"Ho? What if there were no weapons?" he asked.

She looked at him, calculating. Was he truly challenging her? She felt sure she would have the advantage if he didn't use any weapons, and he had viewed the fight with Itachi, so he should realize this too.

A small sound escaped Kisame, and she would have had to be Naruto not to realize the intended insult. She felt her hackles rise; he _was _challenging her and trying to make her out to be a coward no less.

Quickly rolling to her feet, she didn't give him time to attack; she came up swinging. Kisame dodged just in time and Sakura felled the giant tree behind him, sending it crashing to the ground in an explosion of noise and dust. He smiled in anticipation of the fight to come.

She blocked just in time as he aimed a punch for her head, and countered with a leg sweep, which he jumped over. The powerful blows they traded had little effect on the other, merely leaving bruises in their wake, and gaining neither an advantage.

She ducked a vicious punch, which splintered the tree behind her. She landed a blow to his face, sending him sprawling. He spit out blood and a few teeth, his feral grin in place the whole time. They circled one another, calculating. Sakura felt vaguely like she was sparring with Naruto with his endless chakra reserves.

Before Kisame had a chance to pull any jutsu, she rushed him again, feigning a kick to the left and punching to the right. He grabbed her arm in a bone-crunching hold, which she quickly broke free from, arm throbbing.

They traded a few more blows before Kisame landed a solid kick to Sakura's midsection, sending her flying into a tree behind her and stunning her. Before she had regained her senses, he was in front of her, fist raised to strike. At the last possible second, she rolled to the side and his fist went several inches into the ground where she had just been.

Still on the ground, she used her legs to grab him, knock him off balance, and send him tumbling to the ground. She was on him as soon as he landed and the two of them rolled, trying to gain dominance. Sakura ended up on top.

Sending her fist into Kisame's face, his blood spurted as his nose broke, and he let out a grunt of pain. Adrenaline surged through him and he flipped her; his blood dripped on her face as she struggled for freedom. While she did not share her teacher's aversion to blood, it still bothered her, and she thrashed for freedom.

Suddenly a twig broke, heralding Itachi's return, the noise echoing through the campsite as the combatants froze. Both turned their faces toward the sound; Sakura's was inverted as she was still pinned beneath Kisame, wrists held in his bruising grip.

A feeling of being a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar came over both at the cool expression on Itachi's face. They disengaged from each other, Kisame pinching the bridge of his nose to stem the bleeding, while Sakura rubbed the circulation back into her wrists.

Itachi dropped the birds he carried by the fire, to pull Kisame aside. They spoke in hushed tones and she could not catch their conversation. Sakura sighed. Eyeing the birds, she walked over by the fire and began cleaning them.

Itachi walked by her when she was nearly finished with the second bird. Kisame had gone into his tent, sulking, and Itachi sat against a tree to wait. When she finished preparing the birds, Sakura made a makeshift spit, and skewered the birds, setting them to roast above the fire. She presented her gory hands to Itachi, "Is there water nearby?"

Itachi stood and began walking away, not looking back to see if she was following him. Sakura hastened to catch up. As they got further from the campground, Sakura couldn't resist asking, "He will watch the food, won't he?"

"Aaa," was Itachi's noncommittal reply.

After dinner, Sakura began working on some of the damage Kisame had done to her.

"You're a healer?" Kisame's question was very nasal.

Sakura glared slightly before nodding.

"Den fix by nose!" he demanded.

Sakura smiled sweetly, "but you look so much more handsome that way." she could swear she heard Kisame growl as they glared at each other.

Itachi made motions to retire for the night, but Sakura stopped him, stalking over to Kisame who eyed her warily. When her smile turned saccharine, he didn't have time to react before she ripped off the tape holding the bandage over his nose.

His bellow of pain and rage filled the night, and Sakura caught the punch he threw at her in her left hand while she began healing him with her right. Using her chakra, her eyes became unseeing as she prodded around, feeling the bone and cartilage fragments. She began systematically moving them back where they belonged, however she did not numb his nerves, as was common practice.

Tears ran down his face uncontrollably; however he did not move or make another sound. Satisfied, Sakura placed new tape over Kisame's nose and followed Itachi into the tent where she fell asleep almost instantly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto nor lay any rights upon the original story and/or characters contained therein.

Thank you to all my reviewers!

A HUGE thank you to Leafygirl for Beta-ing both Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 for me. Also, thanks to Krickitat for figuring out how to get around the glich that wouldn't let me update and taking the time to explain it to me. Hugs both of you!

_**NOTE:** The story still does not want to keep astericks for some reason, so I decided to use letters, per Kri-chan's suggestion, so this is not an actual update, just revisions to make this chapter easier to read. Thanks for your understanding!  
_

**Chapter 3**

The sun was barely filtering into the tent, signifying the early hour. Sakura glanced over at the form beside her. He was still asleep. This could be the perfect opportunity to escape.

In a swift, silent movement, she pounced on him. She straddled his body, pinning his arms to his sides with her muscular legs as her hands wrapped around his throat. His coal eyes opened to meet hers in a steady gaze as he watched her choke him as if he were watching her do the dishes. _'Didn't the man's expression ever change?'_

He looked so much like Sasuke, his onyx colored eyes, ebony hair, and that mouth. To her horror, she felt her eyes tearing up as if it were Sasuke she was strangling the life out of. Killing Itachi would be harder than she thought.

The Uchiha's face had turned a deep red from lack of oxygen, yet his gaze remained steady and bored. She wondered how many times he must have stared death in the face to be able to keep that impenetrable mask firmly in place. Her legs almost imperceptibly loosened their hold on his arms, and Itachi took advantage of it, by pulling his arms free.

He tugged her hands from his throat, and she allowed him to with no resistance. He did not ponder the tears sliding from her eyes. She wasn't the first person to try to kill him in his sleep and wouldn't be the last.

Sakura hadn't moved off of him yet, so Itachi gave in to an impulse, an impulse born of waking to a beautiful ninja cuddling him the last two mornings and straddling his prone form now. The killing lust he saw in her eyes when he first opened his own didn't hurt matters either. Sliding his body slightly higher, Itachi pressed his morning erection against her sweet derriere. She jumped as if burned when she realized what he had just done. Her shriek of outrage followed her as she threw her body away from his, and quickly exited the tent.

Itachi smirked to himself. That had gone over even better than he thought it would. She had been so distraught that she hadn't even tried to slap him. It would be easy to manipulate her by using her obvious innocence against her.

MMMMMMMM

Kisame had been cleaning his weapons when a shriek from Itachi's tent caught his attention. The flap opened, and a cherry red Sakura emerged in a flurry of movement. She turned her back to him for a few seconds, obviously upset. Kisame didn't care for women's mood swings, so he did his best to ignore her. Hence, he didn't have time to really ponder what was going on when she jumped on him, grabbed his scattered weapons, and quickly launched several at the tent, which still contained Itachi.

_'Oh shit! Itachi's going to kill me.' _Kisame quickly went after her, but she evaded his grasp, scrambling into the trees. She had the slight advantage being a native of the Leaf Country. She was at home in the trees, where Kisame had been forced, as a missing nin, to adapt to a variety of terrains ranging from the flat plains of Hidden Grass to the treacherous footing of Hidden Rock's cliffs and everything in between.

Kisame followed her into the trees but quickly realized that she would not be as easy to catch as he thought, he returned to camp, looking at the shredded remains of Itachi's tent. Itachi had yet to emerge from the tent. Kisame was sure he wasn't dead, but he couldn't be sure that his partner was unscathed or what state his temper would be in when he did show himself.

MMMMMMMM

Sakura was pissed, so pissed, that she didn't even relish her freedom. '_That jerk! How _dare_ he think he could do something so… so perverted!'_ And what made her even angrier was that she had felt a warm jolt in her stomach when he did it. _No _man had ever dared to do something like that to her, probably from fear of being turned into a red smear in a crater-sized hole in the ground.

Sakura didn't have time to ponder her anger; she needed to use that adrenaline to fuel her speed. She needed to be swifter than the wind, and disappear like a shadow in the noonday sun.

She fled, fleet of foot, for over an hour. She made her way steadily towards the nearest safe haven she knew of, which was still three days travel away. She used every evasive trick that she had learned over the years, covering her tracks as well as she could. Both Kisame and Itachi were exceptional ninja, but she was uncertain how proficient their tracking skills were.

MMMMMMMM

Itachi calculated that Sakura had gained a head start of about 30 minutes on them. That was how long it had taken them to tear down camp, and cover any signs that they had been there. Kisame led the chase, having the better eyes of the pair. It was Itachi's best kept secret that he had extremely poor vision, which was a side effect of years of using the Sharingan.

Kisame had been slightly surprised when Itachi had emerged from the tent with one minor scratch and an amused expression on his face. Even in light of the fact that they had to take extra time to track the girl, Itachi's tent getting trashed, and having to stop at a town to get another or stay at an inn this evening, Itachi hadn't gotten mad.

Itachi's moods were something he had long ago stopped trying to figure out. Kisame was legendary for his chakra reserves, not his brain capacity. And although he was far from stupid, he found Itachi was just too much of an enigma to understand.

MMMMMMMM

Sweat poured off Sakura and her breath came in ragged pants. She had pushed herself to the breaking point; fatigue had long since turned to exhaustion, and she didn't know how much further she would make it. She had not paused even to eat, which was beginning to take its toll on her weary body.

She had passed a village about an hour before, but opted to keep going. If she had still seen no signs of pursuit by the following evening, she would find a village to stay the night in. Before long they would be able to track her on smell alone; she needed a bath.

Noting that the day was waning, Sakura allowed herself to let up the relentless pace a little. She needed to find a place to shelter for the night. Preferably a place out of the open and easily defended, especially since she had no weapons. She had been foolish to throw _all _of them at the tent, which contained that letch. But she had been so very angry.

Her anger had still not completely cooled. A small part of her wished she could see Itachi again, just so she could waste his ass. But the sensible side of her told her that if she were lucky, she would never ever lay eyes on the older Uchiha again.

MMMMMMMM

With evening setting in, Kisame and Itachi opted to stay the night at a small inn in a village in which Sakura's trail skirted. The waitress in the pub on the first floor of the inn brought them food; she smiled at Itachi as she served them.

Kisame slapped some coins down on the table, drawing her attention when she lingered longer than necessary. The effect of his feral grin was not diminished in the least by the tape he still sported across his nose. It was enough to send the foolhardy waitress high-tailing it back to the bar.

Kisame was nothing if not intimidating—one of the advantages of the transformation he had undergone since he received his Jinchuuriki. Some men would be bothered at the prospect of being so unattractive to the female population, but not Kisame. He had welcomed the power that hosting the shark monster granted him.

Not that Kisame had been particularly handsome before the transformation, but as with Itachi, his interest had lain in achieving more power, rather than what female would warm his bed at night. Neither man indulged in frivolous relations with the opposite sex, although Itachi was known to use his looks to seduce information out of a target from time to time.

Kisame glanced at Itachi out of the corner of his eye. What _had _he done to the kunoichi this morning to get her panties in such a bunch? Itachi had certainly been amused by the whole ordeal. He had yet to reveal why he wanted her, but Kisame had formulated his own theory.

In all the years that he had known Itachi, he had never known anyone to break out of the mangekyou sharingan. The technique was virtually infallible. The only problem with it was that if Itachi used it more than once in a short period of time, it drained his chakra supply to next to nil. While Itachi didn't like to share his weaknesses, it was important for the two of them to be aware of each other's downfalls as well as strengths. It could mean life or death, especially when they only had one other person to depend on.

Itachi probably wanted to use her as a test subject and figure out just how she managed to break free of the technique. If Kisame was completely honest, he was more than a little curious himself. He did not envy her the tests she would more than likely undergo. He had been on the receiving end of the mangekyou sharingan once. It was not an experience he cared to revisit, ever.

MMMMMMMM

Sakura's eyes darted around as she settled into a hollowed out tree for the evening. She had collected stray branches and covered the hole inconspicuously, making it look as if they had fallen that way. She munched quietly on some assorted edible plants she had found. Grimacing at the taste, she made herself eat; she would need the energy they provided.

She forced herself not to freak out when she felt an insect crawling across her skin. Instead, she flicked it out of the opening of the tree; gooseflesh and tremors ran through her body as she wondered how many other creepy crawlies shared her bed for the night. She admired Shino and the other members of the Aburame clan for their strength, but was more than happy to allow all the insects in Konoha to flock to them and stay far, far away from her. The thought of having them crawling, not just over her skin but under it too, was just too much. If she didn't distract her train of thoughts she would be jumping out of her sanctuary, rubbing away imaginary insects like a crazy person, and possibly giving away her position.

She turned her thoughts to Sasuke. He had changed so much yet so little over the years. His hair was slightly longer, but still stood up, unruly on the top. He was tall now too, probably close to six feet in height, if she had to guess. He was not much shorter than Naruto's towering six foot three inch height.

It's ironic how Naruto was always the shortest of them and grew up to be a virtual giant. Maybe Jiraiya had force fed him giant food while he was training under him those years. Not like Naruto didn't resemble Jaraiya enough in other aspects, both were noisy, boisterous, perverted, annoying powerhouses who towered over the average person.

_'Che, perverted__. Not such an uncommon trait in men in general. Hopefully Sasuke hasn't turned out to be a pervert. Orochimaru is warped and probably corrupted Sasuke in unfathomable ways; it will probably take years to help Sasuke overcome whatever atrocities he had witnessed and partook in while under that serpent's influence.'_

Sakura remembered the blinding, piss your pants fear she had felt in that snake's presence. She didn't know how Sasuke had endured years being by his side. She knew that part of the problem of ever facing Orochimaru again was her preconceived notions working against her. She had been a gennin the first time she met him. She had changed so much since then, but Tsunade had told her that often times a mental handicap could be more crippling than a physical one.

_'Tsunade.' _A small smile graced Sakura's features at the thought of her mentor and how she had strived to be everything that she was. _'She also was born with no bloodline limit, no special skills to call her own. Her only claim to anything was being the granddaughter of a former Hokage. She got where she is today through guts and determination. She is everything I aspire to be.' _While many rightfully feared the fifth Hokage, Sakura held a special place in the woman's heart and vice versa. She had overheard a conversation with Shizune in which Tsunade told her it was like training herself.

Sakura had worried after she began training under Tsunade that Shizune would feel displaced, but to quite the contrary, Shizune had welcomed her. While Shizune was one of the best medics Sakura had ever met, second only to Tsunade, her personality and style of fighting differed drastically from both Sakura and Tsunade's style. Shizune preferred ninjutsu style fighting as Tenten did, while Sakura and Tsunade excelled in taijutsu.

Tsunade had also taken advantage of Sakura's propensity to be good with written works. Sakura helped Shizune, along with Izumo and Kotestu, to lighten Tsunade's load, freeing up more time for training. As such, Sakura had been privy to a lot of classified information that only top ranking ninja were allowed access.

Maybe Itachi had found out that little tidbit of information and wanted some top-secret information. If that was the case, even if Itachi caught her, he would end up having to kill her because she would never betray Tsunade's or Konoha's trust. Anyway, she was able to play the part of a dippy teenager with air where her brain should be so well, he would question his information.

A small tired smile flitted across Sakura's face at the thought of outsmarting an S class criminal. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she finally allowed her exhaustion to overcome her.

MMMMMMMM

Deep navy faded into lilac and pink until the colors evened out into cornflower blue sky, which would brighten as the sun peaked over the horizon. The fresh scent of the lush greenery would fade as the sun baked away the condensation, which had accumulated into a fine layer on everything over the night.

Long shadows followed the two men as they continued the previous day's hunt. A grim smile graced Kisame's features. They needed to check in with the Akatsuki in 2 days to report their findings. If they did not find Sakura today, it would cause unwanted complications.

MMMMMMMM

A shaft of light fell across Sakura's face, rousing her from her replenishing slumber. Birds sang happily in the canopy above, alerting her to the fact that she slept a little longer than she would have liked. The rotted tree had been soft and spongy to sleep on, allowing her to rest comfortably. When she rose, alert for any presences in the vicinity, the chill of having her entire backside soaked through set in, raising gooseflesh.

She comforted herself with the thought that at least her body stench was covered with the mossy smell that lingered on her clothing. Once again, she longed for the comfort of clean clothes and freshly washed skin and hair. Her eyes widened as she remembered the creeping things she spent the night with, and she flipped her hair, shaking it out to dislodge anything that may be clinging there. She dusted every inch of herself three times to make sure she wasn't bringing any friends along for the ride.

She was still two days away from the closest safe point. She scrounged up a quick breakfast of more tasteless and bitter plants, she knew better than to start a fire and again set out.

She would have to remember to thank Kakashi if and when she got home for the knowledge he had bestowed upon them in their gennin days. He had taught them so much more than just basic fighting in the field and molding chakra. While the boys had a seemingly endless supply of stamina, they sometimes needed it when learning new jutsu, while Sakura picked up on them more quickly. More than once Kakashi had sent her to collect edible plants for them to eat as part of the training, both for her to find them and for them all to eat them. Naruto always complained very vocally, but Sakura found the knowledge invaluable now when she had nothing.

MMMMMMMM

The mood of both men had declined as the day wore on and also having no signs of closing the distance between them and their prey. It meant that they would have to track her into the night, which was always a pain in the ass. But given the time constraint that they were under, the only other option was to allow her to escape, which Itachi was not about to do. After the hassle of chasing her this far, Kisame wasn't about to give up either. But if anything, this only proved that she was worthy of the interest Itachi had placed in her.

MMMMMMMM

The second day since Sakura had escaped the dastardly duo--as she had nicknamed them-- was waning into evening. She had pushed herself equally as hard today and the prospect of staying the night at an inn grew more and more appealing. She hadn't stopped at any of the towns she had passed earlier; instead she gave them a wide enough birth not to accidentally encounter anyone.

Money for staying at an inn was not an issue, providing the town was large enough to have a bank. She had all her security numbers memorized and Bank of Konoha transactions were honored throughout the Fire Country. The thought of even buying herself a change of clothing and a few weapons boosted her mood.

As dusk set in, Sakura performed a jutsu(**1) **to enhance her night vision. The irises of her eyes turned a silvery color and the forest took a new depth as colors reflected back with an entirely new vivacity that was as unique as it was beautiful. When she had learned this jutsu, she wondered if the Hyuuga clan had somehow perfected a variation of it to the extent that it had become permanent and evolved over the years.

Her muscles had passed weary hours before. And her strong determination as well as the haunting memory of Itachi's sharingan eyes staring her down were all that kept her moving. Finally, a glimmer of light shone like a beacon in the distance. A quick glance at the sky told her it was about nine pm. She closed the distance, and was happy to see a decent sized town from the amount of light.

She dispelled her jutsu and quickly lost herself among the people still out in the streets.

MMMMMMMM

It was a little past midnight when a pair of shadows disconnected from the forest and wearily made their way into a town still bustling with nightlife.

MMMMMMMM

(**1) **For those of you wondering, yes my inspiration for Sakura's night vision was Pitch Black's Riddick and his special implants. It just was a stroke of luck that the Hyuuga eye color is so close to silver and I was able to tie it all together so neatly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is the property of Kishimoto-sensei. I receive no gain from twisting his characters for my personal pleasure.

**A/N A huge thanks goes out to Leafygirl for being my beta and muse on this story. Without her, this story would be a mess! For those who didn't notice, she started a continuation story for Loophole. Her Sakura rocks!**

**In this chapter I attempted to delve into Itachi's mind. I am twisting some of the facts from the manga/anime to suit my needs for this story. But that is the freedom I reserve as a fanfic author. I will probably twist more facts in the future too.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4**

Sakura hummed happily to herself. The town was larger than she originally thought. Having several gambling houses, which kept the town bustling twenty-four hours a day; it was no surprise to find an open bank. Of course there had been high fees for making a withdrawal after normal business hours. _Leeching bankers will nickel and dime me to death._

But she had been able to get enough money to buy herself some new clothes, some weapons, rations, and various other supplies including bug spray in case she needed to spend more time hiding in the forest. _I'll just keep that a secret from Shino._

After, she checked into a hotel above one of the casinos. The rooms were luxurious, more luxurious than what she typically indulged in. _But what the hell, you only live once_. What had primarily drawn her were the advertised whirlpools in each room. She was going to soak until she turned into a prune. When finished putting up defenses just in case, Sakura laid out her change of clothes on the bed and happily began filling the whirlpool.

Back in Konoha, she owned spare outfits exactly like the one she had been, so she opted to just throw the mangy clothes away. The stains would be too much of a hassle to try to get out anyway. Seeing her reflection in the mirror while stepping into the bath, she frowned slightly at her haggard appearance before the welcome heat of the water enveloped her aching limbs.

After washing thoroughly, she laid back, and turned on the jets to allow them to massage all the aches out.

The jet's automatic shutoff woke her some time later. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep. Taking her time getting out, Sakura noticed that her reflection looked much better even if she still had bags under her eyes. She was just happy to have fresh clothes to put on. Sakura flopped down in the middle of the king size bed, bouncing twice and smiled that she would get a comfortable night's sleep.

MMMMMMM

Looking upon the moonlit walls from the comfort of the bed, Sakura noticed that they appeared more traditional than what she thought the hotel's walls were. A glance to the side showed a shoji screen which stood open on one wall, allowing the warm spring breeze to flow in, and cause the gauze hangings on the bed to flutter. The sound of running water diverted her attention to the serene landscape just outside the door. A time-honored Japanese garden was visible and the relaxing clank of bamboo hitting bamboo as it spilled its contents into the waiting pool below momentarily covered the sounds of birds singing gaily.

She was so entranced by the scene that she hadn't realized that someone else was in the room with her until she felt the bed dip with his weight. His masculine scent invaded her senses and she felt the tickle of his long hair against her cheek as his weight settled over top of her, pinning her down.

His hair brushed her cheek again, causing her to jerk awake. Sakura stared bleary eyed and uncomprehending into the red sharingan eyes hovering above her face.

'_Sharingan!'_ She moved to jump from the bed, but he (Itachi) quickly flipped her to her stomach, her arm twisting almost painfully behind her. He firmly pinned her down, and she quickly realized the futility of her struggles. Blowing a wayward strand of hair out of her face, she glared at the clock she was now facing and idly noted the time, 4:23am. One more hour and she would have been gone. _Damn! _

"You led quite a little chase," Itachi's deep voice rumbled as he spoke, husky with fatigue.

"I'll say," Kisame agreed. His form disconnected from the shadows, moving into her line of vision, "Shove over, I'm tired." He plopped down on the bed next to Itachi and Sakura. How the hell had she gone from happily escaped to being in bed with two lethal ninja?

"I'll just, uh, take the floor." She struggled to push Itachi off of her and Kisame grinned.

"What's the matter kunoichi, don't want to be a sandwich?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Horror filled her at the meaning behind his words. "No!" she shouted, "I promise! I won't try to escape, just please…" she trailed off in embarrassment, wild-eyed with fear. _Why would they believe me after the way I took off yesterday? _The memory of Itachi's actions-- which had caused her to run in the first place-- flashed through her mind. At that point, Itachi was hard pressed to keep his hold on her._ Oh god, I've got to get out of here!_

Both men chuckled at her reaction; Sakura was _not _amused, especially since she was still wedged under Itachi in a forceful hold. She felt him shift to the side; another fissure of fear coursed through her and her heart galloped in her ribcage. A quick glance showed him settling in the bed on the other side of her, his arm still wrapped around her midsection.

A movement on the other side of her caught her attention; Kisame was pulling his shoes off with his toes. The noise set Sakura's already shattered nerves on end. His (Kisame's) gaze locked on hers as he turned towards her in the bed. The panicked Sakura could do nothing but stare back at him in fear, awaiting his next movement. She was shocked when his eyes drifted closed.

Behind her, she could feel Itachi's breath, puffing into her hair, evening out as he also drifted off to sleep. Sakura moved slightly and his arm tightened around her midsection in warning. She knew how lightly he slept, she hated that his arm was around her, feeling the tremors coursing through her like a frightened rabbit.

An hour passed, her fear had settled and Sakura fought the mind numbing weariness of having used up all her adrenaline from that fear. Both men were asleep. She had studied the shadowed visage of Kisame's face while she contemplated how to get out of this. The tattoos on each side of his face, which looked like gills, reminded her of the similar whisker tattoos on Naruto's face. He still wore the tape across his broken nose. No matter how she looked at him, even when she squinted her eyes, he was still the ugliest man she had ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on.

The room started to go from pitch black to a deep grey, and she shifted slightly in an attempt to rise from the bed. Itachi's arm tightened again around her midsection, pulling her flush against his chest.

Sakura's heart hammered in her chest, not entirely from fear. Given no choice, she settled back into his secure embrace; there would be no escape. The warmth of his body pressed up to her back began to lull her back to sleep.

MMMMMMM

Itachi woke at the sound of Sakura's yelp and her body slamming into him. He almost let out a grunt and had to stiffen all his muscles to prevent her from shoving him the last couple of inches off the bed. The only thing worse than waking from a dream where he felt like he was falling was waking to find he actually _was _falling. She stiffened against him, breaking their contact, and he reached for her a second too late. Before they knew it she was out of the bed. The click of the lock followed the bathroom door slamming shut with finality and both men glanced at one another, Kisame's scowl still firmly in place.

Itachi almost let out a sigh before rolling to his feet. He found a small coffeemaker and decided to start a pot brewing rather than mourning the extra hour worth of sleep he could have gotten. He eyed the bathroom door wondering how long she would lock herself in there for; Kisame obviously thought it would be awhile because he began running the whirlpool. At least they were several stories up, so the windows did not open.

Itachi waited for Kisame to finish bathing before ordering breakfast for three from room service. They spoke in hushed tones, deciding that Kisame would go meet up with Zetsu to report their findings. Itachi would wait there until he(Kisame) returned, and then they would head to one of their safe houses.

Once the food arrived, the smell wafted through the room. The two men placed a small wager on how long it would take Sakura to emerge from the bathroom.

Upon finally returning, Sakura glared when she saw Itachi smirk while Kisame handed him a few coins.

While they ate, Sakura noticed a light bruise on Itachi's neck in the shape of her hands and felt some of her anger ease.

Sakura's gaze landed on Kisame, she hated that she felt almost obligated to make sure he was healing ok. It wasn't like he hadn't deserved the broken nose. She made her way over by him, and he quickly stashed the weapons he had been working on before the _'little minx'_ could get one. He didn't bother to hide the look of abject mistrust on his face.

"May I?" she queried softly, gesturing towards his taped nose.

He nodded, allowing her to check it, and was surprised that she was very gentle today. After probing around with her chakra for several minutes, she seemed satisfied that it was healing well.

She smiled.

Her grin from right before she ripped the tape off of his injured nose flashed through Kisame's mind. He leaned back a little in a defensive posture. He didn't like it when she smiled. She certainly had an evil streak.

"You should be able to remove the tape in 2 or 3 days," she told him professionally.

He nodded, acknowledging her warily, but waited until she moved away before regaining his normal posture.

Sakura was glad that she was good at hiding her reactions, she had almost laughed at his reactions to her. At least he was learning to respect her.

MMMMMMM

Kisame left with a curt nod, which Itachi returned. Itachi sat down on the floor and meditated. He showed no signs of moving any time soon, so Sakura chose to ignore him. She meandered over to the bed at a leisurely pace, sinking into its softness when she sat down. Letting out a soft sigh, she lay back and flipped on the TV, not noticing her eyelids getting heavy. Eventually, she slipped off into a light doze.

Sakura awoke with a jolt, senses on alert; she looked around quickly and reached for a weapon. Unable to find one, she jumped to her feet, ready to perform a jutsu. Itachi eyed her for a moment before wandering into the bathroom. The door closed with a click.

Sakura scanned the room as the import of what had just happened sank in. Kisame had left hours earlier, and Itachi was in the bathroom with the door closed.

Her bare feet slid to a stop in front of the front door, trying to decipher if any traps were present. Not detecting any, she tried the knob. It began twisting in her fingertips.

Slowly…

Slowly…

Time seemed to stop; she was on the verge of freedom, heart hammering in her chest. Then her whole body wracked with a tremor when Itachi's smooth voice rang out across the room, "Going somewhere?"

Turning around guiltily, she saw he was leaning against the bathroom doorframe a definite smirk on his face. _'Damn damn DAMN!'_ inner Sakura raged.

MMMMMMM

Night had fallen and Kisame had not come back yet. Sakura had been closeted in the hotel room with Itachi for hours now, and it was beginning to feel like an eternity. The man had the personality of a tree. Scratch that, trees were more interesting.

A knock sounded at the door, it was room service bringing up a meal for them. Well, at least it would alleviate some of this boredom.

She sat across from Itachi at the small table, careful to keep her knees far away from his. Dinner was a simple beef pot with some vegetables mixed in. Each took a bowl of rice and began to eat. They both reached for the same piece of meat; looking up, their eyes met, and in an act of total childish resentment, Sakura snatched it.

'_Hell Yeah! Beauty wins!'_ Inner Sakura crowed.

MMMMMMM

She and Itachi were once again shrouded in silence. Sakura stood at the window, watching the night sky. Lost in her thoughts, she completely ignored Itachi.

Itachi took this time to covertly study her. Her short pink hair brushed her shoulders; her green eyes looked clear from this angle, and her slim figure curved in all the right places. She exuded an aura of hidden power that tingled Itachi's senses. He found himself wondering why he found her so interesting for the thousandth time.

Her fingers traced the cool glass of the window, leaving trails in the slight condensation her breath had caused. Itachi shifted slightly, reclining against the wall, one leg stretched in front of him, the other knee bent, with his arm on it; light glinted off his ring. His cloak lay draped across the bed.

His hair hid his eyes, so she could not see that he was observing her, even if she glanced back at him. He seemed lost in deep thought.

'_How had this petite ninja been able to break the sharingan's hold? Surely the vessel of Kyuubi had played a part in it, that much was obvious, but he hadn't done more than call out to her. Was there a deeper relationship between the two? Or was it simply that they brought out each other's strengths as with Kisame and me.' _

The light caught his ring again, and he turned his attention to it. He had allied himself with Akatsuki after turning rouge. With the Akatsuki he did not have the expectations that had been placed on him in Konoha. He did not have the hindrances either.

There had been so much pressure in Konoha. His father--he hadn't thought of him in so long. A bitter taste found its way into Itachi's mouth at the thought of _that_ man. But even though he hated the memories, like now, they could flood his mind.

"_Itachi, you are the Uchiha family head, and gifted with the bloodline limit. You have to be stronger than everybody else; there is no room for losers in this family!"_

_Prodigy._

_After slicing open his arm at 4 years old using a kunai, a scar which he still carried, his father admonished him, "Suck up those tears! It is only bleeding a little. Uchiha do not cry, no matter how much it hurts."_

_Genius._

"_Obito died because he was weak. He was a fool. There is no room in this family for weaklings or fools."_

_Prodigy._

_Itachi stood with his father, the other children his age were running around playing while the parents talked. His father took him aside, "Don't fiddle, Itachi. Uchiha are a prestigious family, and have an example to set. Have some pride in who you are."_

_Genius._

"_I heard that Hatake boy made Chuunin at age 7. You are the Uchiha prodigy. You have to uphold the Uchiha name. Stronger, smarter, younger, faster, better."_

_Prodigy._

"_What do you mean it was a mistake? Uchiha don't make mistakes!" his father yelled at him, backhanding him across the face, throwing the young Itachi off balance, sending him crashing to the floor. He carried the bruise across his face for more than three days after that._

_Prodigy. Genius. Prodigy. Genius. Prodigy. Genius. Prodigy. Genius. Prodigy. Genius. Prodigy. Genius. Prodigy. Genius. Prodigy. Genius. Prodigy. Genius. Prodigy. Genius. _

_The words and thoughts haunted Itachi and that familiar feeling of rage boiled up inside of him._

His father had been such a hypocrite. He had urged Itachi to be stronger, harder, better. And when Itachi had surpassed all living Uchiha, his father still had higher expectations of him.

But when Itachi had sought out a means to be stronger, he had been surprised with what had been required of him to achieve the next form of sharingan, Mangekyou. He had held off; he wasn't going to follow through with it. He could feel all of them urging him on, not knowing what they were asking of him.

Sakura broke into his thoughts, and he turned from the window, his attention immediately on her. "I'm going to sleep," she quietly said, as if not wanting to disturb the quiet of the room. Not bothering to wait for his acknowledgement-- which she doubted she would get anyway-- she snuggled into the bed and made herself comfortable.

After a few minutes, Itachi got up and turned off the light. He resumed his meditative position, falling asleep while sitting up.

MMMMMMM

_In the secret Uchiha room he had gone and read the sacred hidden scrolls. He was fascinated. When he found a scroll speaking of another form of sharingan, he wondered why nobody ever spoke of it, so he had read on. "…To obtain the final form of Sharingan, one must kill their closest friend. This is why so few Uchiha have been able to achieve it..."_

_Itachi remembered the face of Shisui. The warm smile and laughing eyes; could the words closest friend really sum up the relationship they had? Shisui had been someone to spar with, to add some levity when he got overly serious, confide his dark inner thoughts to, his frustrations with what was wrong with the Uchiha clan. In one of their conversations, Itachi had told him about the secret of the final sharingan, Shisui had made a joke, as was his nature, and both boys had laughed about it. Shisui was the only one who could make him laugh, given that there was so little to laugh about in his life. Itachi valued Shisui for it more than he would ever know._

MMMMMMM

_Shisui and he had been on a mission together. They had managed to escape, but only just. Shisui had taken a hit for him, and even now his lifeblood was spilling out._

"_Itachi, you know that I am dying."_

"_No, be quiet. You are going to live," Itachi said fiercely. If his best friend died, what would he have left? He had always tried to keep Sasuke at an arm's length knowing the secret of how to gain the mangekyou sharingan, and the rest of Uchiha were a bunch of fools too wrapped up in formality and ceremony to even realize that they were forgetting that which was most important._

"_You know that's not true," Shisui managed to gasp out between gurgling coughs, cutting off his thoughts._

_Itachi realized the truth of Shisui's words even if he didn't want to admit it. He'd seen enough death to know Shisui's wounds were fatal._

"_Hurry! Kill me before I die!" _

"_What? What kind of delusional shit are you spewing?"_

"_Itachi, the final form of sharingan…" he faded off into another coughing fit._

_Realization dawned of just what it was that Shisui was offering him. He was going to die anyway, so if he allowed Itachi to strike the killing blow he could achieve the final form._

_Their eyes met, and understanding passed between the young men. Itachi pulled out a kunai and hovered it over his friend's heart but found himself hesitating._

"_Do it!" Shisui screamed, startling Itachi into action._

_Itachi plunged the dagger into his closest friend's heart, unaware of the tears coursing down his cheeks. Itachi watched as the light slowly left his eyes, a smile on his dying face. _

Itachi roused from the disturbing dream, which had awoken him hundreds of times over the years. The one death he could say he really felt regret for causing. The one kill that he had not earned, or even wanted, even killing his parents had not pained him in such a way.

MMMMMMM

Sakura woke to sunlight spilling gently into the room. A peaceful feeling filled her in those first seconds of waking, and she stretched lazily, cuddling back into the comfort of the bed. The sun warmed her face and felt so good that Sakura was not willing to immediately climb from the bed.

The sound of running water filtered into her senses, and she realized just where she was and whom she was with. There was no time for lounging in bed. Quickly assessing the situation, she found an exploding note attached to the door, but could easily disarm it. Surely he did not think her as inept as this? There had to be more to the trap than this alone.

How long had he been in the shower? How much time did she have? Not enough. She heard the water turn off. In a rush, she ran to the door, pulled the exploding note from it with one hand, stomping it out before it had a chance to detonate, while the fingers of her other hand were already turning the knob.

Slightly crouched to flee, she heard the bathroom door fly open and a wet, naked Itachi flew towards her. Sakura's eyes widened in surprised horror, and before she had a chance to recover from her shock, he tackled her to the ground.

Having regained her senses, she pushed at him, but her hand slipped on the water on his bicep, sliding along the taut flesh instead of pushing him away. Flustered and frustrated, she began to rain blows on him; he grunted several times before he gained control of both her hands.

She tried to bite him when she found her legs also pinned. She looked at him in utter frustration and fury, and noticed that he had activated his sharingan. She immediately screwed her eyes closed, refusing to open them, which left them in an extremely awkward position.

"Couldn't you have put any clothes on before chasing me?"

"You didn't give me time."

She knew her face was flaming. She had seen Naruto and Sasuke both nearly naked, but this man was _completely _naked and pressed against her from head to toe. There was none of the desire which her girlfriend's had spoken of when in the presence of a naked man, only total mortification. It could have to do with the fact that he was her enemy.

Sakura turned her face to the side, and let her body go limp. Itachi remained where he was, savoring the small victory before rolling off of her. He kept the door open while he finished dressing, but Sakura kept her eyes averted.

Once he was fully clothed Sakura let out a small sigh of relief, which did not go unnoticed by Itachi.

An uncomfortable silence settled in the room. Itachi walked over and flipped on the TV, settling in to wait for Kisame's return. He hoped that they were in for a long break before the next mission; he was looking forward to being able to start his research.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or its characters. No harm is intended toward the creators of Naruto._

**A special thanks to Leafygirl for the quick beta on this chapter, you are more help and inspiration to me than you will ever know!**

** Thanks to ALL my reviews! I was asked by one reviewer what was so Mature about this story: it's called CYA (Cover Your Ass for those who aren't familiar with that particular acronym.) I would rather have the rating and warnings too high than have them too low. So, I issue the warning again: This chapter, as the previous ones has adult situations and language, as such is rated M.**

**  
**

**Chapter 5**

Tsunade stood over Sasuke's prone form. The straps holding him down were not necessary. He hadn't moved a muscle since he had been placed in the hospital bed. His physical health was perfect, reflexes on target, charka flow uninhibited. There was just no reasonable explanation for him failing to wake up. And that was not only a problem for Sasuke, but also for Tsunade.

Tsunade prided herself on being the best medic in the world, and that was due in part to never giving up. So caught up in studying her medical books and researching possible causes, Tsunade even forgot to drink. In times like this, if it weren't for Shizune, Tsunade would surely starve herself. In Tsunade's younger years, she _had_ almost done so. But there was nothing quite like the feel of making the impossible possible, of making the incurable curable, and to Tsunade, that made it all worthwhile.

But this problem with Sasuke was just puzzling her. Aside from some recent scars, which had no apparent direct connection with Sasuke's coma, there was nothing. There was no damage to his brain that could be found. Pulling back an eyelid, Tsunade shone a light in and watched his pupil dilate. Normal response. Pressing his neck, she checked his pulse. A frown marred her features as her mind worked furiously trying to think of some cause for this. It was almost like his body was just… vacant.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Itachi regarded Sakura impassively; hatred curled off her in waves. A cynical smile escaped him. "Why do you hate me so badly? Surely it is not because I kidnapped you."

"You want me to _like _you?" she asked incredulously.

"Aah, that doesn't matter."

"Then why do you care?"

"I don't really," he shrugged, turning away from her.

Sakura saw red. _How dare he? _

She lunged at him, but he seemed as if he were expecting it.

Itachi sidestepped, and her ire was only further fueled. "You _bastard._"

He smirked. The jerk _actually _smirked, fanning the flames of her anger to dangerous levels. She was beyond rational thought, and it didn't even occur to her he may have been doing it intentionally.

Sakura came at him again, swinging wildly. He easily avoided, pinning her face first to the wall, her arm held at a painful angle behind her back. Unable to move, she venomously bit out, "I hate you for all that you are and all that you have done. But _most _of all I hate you for what you have done to Sasuke."

"So much feeling for such a fool," he murmured, his breath rustling her hair.

"Don't badmouth Sasuke!" Sakura raged, pushing against him. He allowed her to turn to face him, her left hand pinned above her head. "You have no right to speak his name! You gave up that right when you slaughtered everyone he cared about. You gave that right up when you walked out of his life! You don't even know who he is anymore!"

Itachi glared menacingly down at her. His eyes seemed to glow with a feral light. "And _you _know him so well? Did he confide his secrets to you? Did he ask you to train and help him with his knife throwing techniques? Maybe he asked you on a date?"

_That's it!_ Inner Sakura raged, _get that bastard!_

Sakura threw a punch at Itachi's smug face. Instead of connecting with the hard planes of his jaw, her fist was caught in his calloused grip.

Jade met smoldering red and a battle of wills ensued, neither looking away. Sakura's fist shook in Itachi's grip with the force both were exerting in opposite directions. Frustrated that she couldn't outmuscle him, Sakura spat, "Unhand me, Uchiha."

Instead of releasing her, he pressed himself against her. "No."

Sakura's anger wavered as images of his naked body flashed through her mind. She fought the flustered feeling growing inside her, and tried to remember what she was angry about. There was no doubt that Itachi was a good-looking man (inner Sakura was not letting her forget that particular fact). To make it worse, she could feel all of his hardened muscles pressing against her curves. Oddly, she found herself short of breath.

He released her hands and placed his arms on either side of her against the wall, forming a living cage around her.

Sakura's heart hammered in her ears, and she felt like a cornered animal. What was he getting at? Her eyes fell to his moving lips, but she couldn't hear what he said over the roar of blood in her ears.

Itachi read the desire that was clearly written on her face. He lowered his head, bringing his mouth closer to hers. He paused at the small click of the doorknob turning, someone was entering their room.

Both Sakura and Itachi turned their heads towards Kisame as he walked in. Kisame paused for half a second, a look of shock on his face, which quickly changed to a leering grin. He clapped Itachi on his shoulder before wandering past and into the bathroom, dropping his things on the floor as he went.

Reality set in for Sakura and with it, her fury. She began to pummel her fists on Itachi, but only got a few hits in before he pinned her again. He leaned forward, and she froze as he whispered, "we'll continue this later." Slowly peeling himself off her, his nose grazed her jaw, causing her stomach to do a flip-flop.

_Which part does he mean to continue? There he goes being enigmatic again! _

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Three masked shinobi stood in the hall, two on one side of the door, one on the other; all three had their backs pressed against the wall. They wore the standard garb of hunter nin. Each was marked as Konoha hunters by the swirling tattoo visible on each hunter's bicep, as well as the Konoha symbol engraved into the forehead of each unique mask.

Silence filled the hall as they waited. No sound emanated from the room they watched. As one, they moved. No signal passed between them; none was needed, for they were after all, ANBU. A card, filched from the reception desk, opened the door and they entered the room in a swift, silent movement…

…to find it empty.

Sai pulled off his mask as they investigated the room. A pink hair was found on one of the pillows confirming that Sakura had been there. The coffee was tellingly lukewarm. A frown was hidden as he pulled his mask back down. _Sakura doesn't drink coffee._

Finishing the investigation of the room and finding no other helpful clues, Sai pulled out a scroll and painted two birds. Adding a last stroke, he performed a few quick hand seals and they lifted themselves from the canvas. One would report their findings directly to the Hokage. The other was for Naruto.

Sai was the only thing that prevented Naruto from going ballistic when he found out that it was strictly ANBU on this mission. Naruto had stormed in on the briefing, and Tsunade had informed him that he was needed for another mission. Naruto put up quite a fight, but since he was the only one who knew the exact location and layout of Orochimaru's lair, Tsunade had finally gotten him to agree to go with a larger squad to recover Orochimaru's body. Everyone in that briefing room was aware that Orochimaru could have the only clue to healing Sasuke.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Itachi, Kisame, and Sakura had spent little time in the room after Kisame arrived before departing again. Kisame had returned with all the provisions they needed for travel so there would be no stops at any stores. Sakura was given a plain black cloak as well as a straw hat similar to theirs, hanging down for the moment on their backs. They traveled northeast at a fast but easy pace.

There was some light banter between Itachi and Kisame as they went along, but otherwise their trip was uneventful. Sakura began to smell the sea long before she could hear it, and heard it long before she saw it. Toward mid-afternoon, a small costal port town came into view. Sakura's stomach dropped. She had a stinking suspicion that her chances of getting away were about to diminish greatly.

Both men donned their straw hats outside of the town; Sakura took a hint and did likewise. The town smelled of fish and other nefarious odors too putrid to mention. The buildings were rundown and in need of more than just a fresh coat of paint. Refuse littered the streets, and dirty children with no shoes chased mangy animals. Hardened women with vacant eyes and leathery skin went about various tasks. As they neared the docks, Itachi left Sakura standing with Kisame, a warning squeeze to her arm that would no doubt bruise, but left his meaning unmistakable.

Kisame then led her to a seedy looking open-air tavern nearby. He gestured to one of the stools, and she took a seat. He ordered a drink for each of them, unbuttoning the top of his cloak when the drinks were served.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked quietly, unbuttoning her top button as well.

Kisame smiled, it was still intimidating to see all those pointed teeth bared when he grinned. "You'll find that out when we get there."

Sakura frowned her displeasure at his answer, which only made his smile broader.

When Kisame ordered three drinks for the second round, Sakura wasn't surprised that Itachi seemed to materialize on the stool on the other side of her.

"We depart on the evening tide," was all Itachi said about the preparations had made for them to leave the country.

As they ate a light meal, Sakura wracked her brain for a means of escape, wishing she had some of Tsunade's special powder to pour in their drinks. The only thing she came up with was using charka to stick her feet to the ground. Suddenly the conversation between her companions caught her ears.

"Yes, they try to be discreet about it, but once in awhile there is a screamer. They normally just knock her unconscious and carry her like a sack of rice. But it happens all the time here."

"What happens all the time?" Sakura interjected, not sure she wanted to know.

Kisame exchanged a glance with Itachi, but Sakura kept her attention on Kisame, waiting. "Women disappearing."

Sakura's quick mind fitted the part of the conversation she has already heard in, "What do they do with them?" Sakura couldn't help but ask, appalled.

"Sell them on the black market, of course - slaves, prostitutes, medical experiments, whatever."

"That's horrible!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yes, but it gives an excellent cover if you give a hard time getting on the ship, doesn't it? Great plan, Itachi." Kisame grinned.

Sakura turned her glare from Kisame to Itachi. He was always one step ahead of her.

"You _do_ realize that I am the Hokage's personal student? It doesn't matter if we leave the country. If I don't manage to get away on my own, someone _will_ come for me."

"Aah, if they can find you." The barest hint of a smirk was visible around the side of Itachi's cup.

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and refused to speak further.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Unable to sleep, Sakura lay awake listening to the sound of ocean lapping against the ship's hull. They were headed in the general direction of Mist from her best guess, but there were also hundreds of islands that they could be headed to.

The situation had taken a turn for the much more serious now. Not only was this entire area foreign to Sakura, but Fire also had no treaty with Mist at the moment. This meant that there would be no help forthcoming from the ninja there, even if she were able to get away.

The soft sound of Itachi's breathing didn't change when she rose from the bunk to look out the porthole. If he woke, he gave no signs, not that she cared. The moonlight reflected brightly off the water presenting a soothing visual, and Sakura drank it in.

Sakura wondered for the thousandth time if Tsunade had been able to heal Sasuke, what kind of reception he had received, and where Naruto was at. She wondered if Naruto was ok, who had been sent after her, as well as what all her friends and family were doing. The same thoughts that had been plaguing her since her capture, which brought her mind back to Itachi.

She turned and glanced at him to see the moonlight glint off his eyes, which were watching her.

"I couldn't sleep," she said lamely.

"Obviously," he replied.

She sighed, looking back outside.

He sat up, turning on the light, and causing her to glance over her shoulder at him. "Come here," he ordered softly.

Sakura looked at him hard before finally acquiescing. She stood beside the bed, and he pulled back the blanket, gesturing for her to lie down beside him. She flushed, not liking the implications.

"I think I'll pass," she said softly, backing up.

Itachi's arm snaked out, pulling her down on the bed, a small gasp of surprise escaping her. His eyes shifted to red and began to lazily circle. _Nu-uh! You aren't getting me with that!_ She screwed her eyes closed.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Helping you sleep. Open your eyes."

"I don't trust you."

"Wisely. Now, open your eyes."

"I don't think that is a good idea. The last time you used sharingan on me, I woke up with a migraine. I don't care to repeat that experience."

"I can think of other things to do in a bed if you don't want to sleep."

Sakura's eyes flew open, and Itachi's smirking visage faded out as the swirling red and black took over her mind as her vision and faded to black.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Itachi, Sakura and Kisame were alert as presences closed in on them. They had landed earlier on what Sakura assumed to be Mist. The sight of morning breaking had been breathtaking. Light slowly crept over the horizon in a varied brilliance of colors only enhanced by the misty fog, giving them a deeper hue. It was hard to tell where the fog ended and the water began. How they had been able to navigate, let alone dock the ship, was beyond her.

They had traveled at least six hours unmolested, but recently they had all sensed some charka signatures nearby. They continued traveling; Kisame and Itachi appeared relaxed, yet stayed close to one another. They prepared for the attack, which they all knew was coming.

Sakura was slightly off to the side when the fight started. She found herself facing off against several enemies who cared little for the fact that she was a hostage in this situation. That she was in present company with one Hoshigake Kisame - escaped Mist S-Class criminal, made her a target.

The fight was intense. I_t just figures that all fifteen, no… twenty are highly skilled ninja_. Sakura felt lucky (not for the first time in her life) that her hands were her best weapons. She smashed her fist into the man directly in front of her, who was oblivious to her strength, foolishly blocked instead of dodging. _One down._ Sakura's inner persona blew on her smoking fists.

He was quickly replaced with two more ninja. She felt a kunai wiz past her ear and her eyes were drawn to the source – Itachi - before glancing behind her at the shinobi he had just targeted. If Itachi hadn't have done that, she would have sustained a nasty injury. She had no time to contemplate why Itachi had protected her, but if she had, she would have come to the conclusion that she was more useful to him alive for the time being. She dodged a fist aimed at her head by ducking right while kicking left, throwing the second attacker off balance.

A flash of silver gave her barely enough time to draw a knife to deflect a large amount of needle shaped water projectiles flying her way. Sakura winced as one lodged itself in her shoulder. She had been quick enough to avoid a more critical hit to her neck, but it still smarted. She pulled it out, ignoring the shooting pain that ran all the way down to her hand and up her neck; it dissolved in her fingers.

Both of her attackers had recovered and they looked fairly angry. _Well it wouldn't be fun if it was a walk in the park now, would it? _She sadistically asked herself, a grim smile graced her lips.

Using a trick from her first lesson as a gennin, she allowed the third Shinobi (who thought she hadn't noticed him sneaking up on her) to grab her arms, then she used the kawarmi technique to switch places with a nearby log.

Sakura used the momentary confusion to hide herself in the tree branches above the battle. Her eyes were drawn to the masculine forms of Itachi and Kisame as they moved in a deadly dance of perfection. They were back to back, and several ninja were spread around them in a rough circle.

She could not help the feeling of admiration at watching the beauty of their movements. Each move was precise and calculated, flawlessly executed where it would cause the most damage. Their swirling cloaks did not hinder their movements in the least. Both men kicked an enemy at the same time, each leaning the opposite direction so they didn't hinder the other's movement. It would almost seem like watching a mirror if it weren't for the physical differences. Turning in unison, they seemed to actually be dancing as they twisted and turned about each other's bodies with practiced ease. Kisame took a swipe with Samehada, and Itachi ducked with perfect timing. Kisame covered as Itachi performed a fire technique.

Even Kisame had an allure when fighting. It was not that he was attractive per say, but perhaps more like poetry in motion. Much like with Rock Lee, Kisame was not an attractive person to look at, but breathtaking to watch in a battle.

But it was not Kisame that drew her attention as much as his shorter counterpart. Sakura was transfixed as she watched Itachi's lethal grace. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation she might have entertained some less than appropriate thoughts about her handsome captor.

A sudden rustle of leaves nearby told her she had overstayed her welcome with needless staring, and she was quickly drawn back into the battle.

There were roughly a dozen enemy nin left when Sakura decided it was time to add a little extra advantage for their side. She wished she had her gloves, which were specially made to prevent her from injuring her hands while she fought. She steeled herself for the pain that would follow as she slammed her fist into the ground, creating a large crater.

Both Kisame and Itachi, having seen her use this technique before, were quick to dodge. But several Mist ninja were not quick enough to avoid the full brunt of her attack. The lucky ones merely lost their footing. While they were avoiding the now treacherous terrain, Kisame and Itachi were quick to take advantage of the distraction Sakura had provided.

Roughly half a dozen enemies were still on their feet. Itachi had a nasty gash, and seeing it as a potential weakness, three closed in on him. It would prove their folly. Sakura fought alongside Kisame, as he squared off with a shinobi in front of him. Sakura reacted, instinctively protecting Kisame by punching the ninja trying to slice him in half. Her fist sent the enemy shinobi into a broken unconscious heap twenty or so feet away. Kisame's eyes momentarily met hers; he smiled and Sakura acknowledged his grunt of gratitude with a grim nod before the heat of battle diverted both fighters' attention again.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

The battle had ended; this was one of the parts Sakura hated the most. Today, she hated it worse than ever. Itachi incinerated the dead bodies after they picked them over for anything useful. None were left alive. The smell of their flesh burning was enough to make even a seasoned ninja want to retch. Her only saving grace was that she was not required to help.

Instead, she concentrated on her medic duties. Kisame had a broken rib; when he lifted his shirt for her, she sucked in her breath. She didn't know if it was the color of his skin that made the bruising look darker, or simply that it was just _that _bad. Her fingers brushed across his toned abs as she sent her charka in to numb and probe the break. He didn't make a sound as she set and tightly bandaged his midsection.

Itachi, on the other hand, seemed to want no part of her healing. Whether it was stubborn male pride, or just that he didn't trust her, she couldn't tell. Either way, she was getting tired of waiting to heal herself (normally the medic's wounds come last unless life-threatening). She eyed the cut on his upper arm, which was gaping and still oozing blood from time to time. After another failed attempt to get him to allow her to heal him, she decided that it was ok to heal herself.

Most signs of the battle had been cleared away, and Itachi was still refusing medical attention. Sakura made eye contact with Kisame, gestured to Itachi's wound, and raised questioning eyebrows. Kisame merely shrugged.

Tired of Itachi's game, Sakura snatched his arm in a forceful grip, forcing him to show his arm to her. She examined the gash impassively; years of practice had taught her this. "Fool, do you want to die of infection or blood loss?" she bit out at Itachi.

"I can heal it myself when I finish," was his toneless reply.

Sakura made a noise in the back of her throat. "Suit yourself," she said, leaning back against a tree.

Sakura watched as he began to treat his wound one-handed. _Stubborn, just like Sasuke_. She got impatient with seeing the mistakes he was making. It was not that Itachi didn't know how to treat his own wound, but he would have a scar as well as possible infection if trying to do it all himself. Two hands were really needed to close that gaping of a gash.

Itachi looked up from his ministrations as a shadow fell across his form.

A frown marred Sakura's features as she stood over him. "You're not doing it right. It's going to leave a scar."

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

She grabbed the antiseptic from next to him, shoving his hand aside, and re-cleansed his wound. Sakura knew that when she applied the disinfectant, it hurt like hell. But he never gave any indication it affected him, just that cool, calm façade. After she was satisfied it was clean, Sakura lightly probed it with charka, feeling around for any foreign objects. Not finding any, she stitched the tear in the arm muscle back together and closed up the skin with small stitches for minimal scarring. She finished it with a neat bandage.

"I may be your captive, but I am first and foremost a medic. Do not insult my skills by trying to do a half-assed patch again," she demanded.

A small furrow appeared between Itachi's eyebrows, showing his displeasure. It wasn't often that people dared chastise him, less often that they lived after doing so. She didn't seem the least bit intimidated by his look, rather quite the opposite; it seemed to inflame her temper worse.

'_He is a lot easier to read than I thought. The similarities between Sasuke and him are almost disturbing sometimes.'_

"I didn't realize you cared so much, Sakura-_chan_."

"Be careful you don't push the wrong buttons Itachi-_kun_," she sneered, not realizing her faux pas.

But Itachi was quick on the uptake, his voice took on a husky timbre, "And what buttons would you _like _me to push, Sakura-_chan_?"

Realizing that he had twisted her own words against her, and that she had no witty repartee to use, she clamped her mouth shut. _'Wouldn't you like to know?' _Inner Sakura yelled. She found herself unable to hide the furious blush that rose on her cheeks as she sent a glare at the chortling Kisame. She climbed into the nearest tree and sat there in a huff until it was time to depart.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Notes:** Thanks to all my reviewers! I know I take forever and a day to update and the fact that so many of you are still with me on this story is really appreciated. Huggles! _

_Much love to LeafyGirl for beta-ing for me (and so quickly!), as well as all the support she provides me with. Thanks to Animechick262003 for bouncing ideas well into the night on this chapter and also to my great friend Ang for helping me with working out the Kisame/Sakura scene over the phone at 2am._

_ Almost forgot the disclaimer, AFF had a feature that auto add's it for you now. I don't think there is anything bad in this chapter, but better safe than sorry:  
_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I do not recieve monetary gain, and no harm is intended to the author and/or owner's of the Naruto series by this story. Some situations and language contained within this chapter may not be suitable for children under the age of 18._

_Oh, and watch out for the cliffhanger at the end. XD You guys love me, bad puns & all. _ Chapter 6 

Sakura was exhausted. Since the battle, they had not stopped to rest at all, covering as much distance as possible. Night had fallen hours before and still they pushed on at an insane pace. She almost didn't comprehend when the ocean loomed out of nowhere in front of them.

Although being on another boat signified more distance between her and Konoha, and this very fact alone should further alarm her, Sakura found that she was glad to see the landmass that was Mist, diminishing in the distance. Sakura was still irked at the way she had been treated and doubted she would ever hold any love for that shitty rock. The bastards hadn't even bothered to question, only attack. Thus far, her track record with Mist ninjas left a lot to be desired. Kisame ignored the dirty look Sakura sent his way.

Sakura huddled further into the warmth of her cloak as the spray of the ocean found its way to some exposed skin, chilling her. Itachi and Kisame were similarly clad in their cloaks. This boat was much smaller than the one they had taken to Mist; they were the only passengers taking this midnight ride. Sakura was surprised to see that Mist wasn't even out of sight before a new landmass became visible, a dark shadow among the shining waters.

The boat closed in on it at a steady pace. Sakura didn't know what country it was. She wracked her brain for what lay beyond Mist, but nothing was forthcoming.

_This can't be good. _

When they docked, Kisame spoke in a foreign language with a man on the docks. _This **really** can't be good. _The man gestured toward the right and Kisame spoke a few more words. Itachi guided Sakura after Kisame with an iron grip on her arm.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

The other members of the squadron sent by Konoha to Orochimaru's lair avoided Naruto as much as possible. The normally exuberantly, cheerful young man had started this mission in a sulk, but his mood had taken a drastic downward spiral when they came across the smoking and charred crater that was once Orochimaru's hideout. His expletives had left more than one of his teammates cringing.

The messenger sent back to Konoha found it no small relief to escape. Digging through the remains for bodies was an unpleasant task in itself, without the added stress of Naruto's foul mood hanging like a cloud over the entire mission.

When a small bird arrived, the other members prayed it brought good news.

Naruto disappeared into the trees with it. The silence that followed his departure was heavy. When nothing broke the silence after several minutes, the others took this to be a hopeful sign. They resumed sifting through the remains, searching for Orochimaru's body.

When a harried Naruto rushed back to the clearing, barking at the others to get out of his way, they scurried to do his bidding. An impossible amount of Naruto clones filled the crater. The other nins backed away as unobtrusively as possible while the shadow replications set to tearing the crater apart. Curses aimed at Orochimaru, Sasuke, and the Akatsuki littered the air, muttered from hundreds of scowling mouths.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Sakura eyed the skuzzy motel room and sighed, sinking onto the edge of the bed. They were waiting for Itachi to get back. Kisame settled at the other end of the bed and pulled a deck of cards from beneath his cloak. He dealt himself a game of solitaire and began playing.

Sakura, with nothing else to do, watched him play. She saw a move that he was about to miss and he prepared to flip the next set.

"Wait," she said, pointing out the move.

Kisame glared at having someone interfere with his game of solitaire, but sullenly used the play she had pointed out. Dealing the next row, Sakura leaned in, and while he was looking to the left, she found a play to the right, reaching her hand to point it out to him. He swatted her hand away, scowling he said, "Solitaire is a one person game."

Sakura scowled back and leaned against the wall sulking. Kisame resumed his game in silence. After several minutes, Kisame made a sound of displeasure, scooping the cards up, and reshuffling them.

Sakura couldn't resist goading him, "if you would have let me help, you might not have lost."

Kisame glared, "fine, you think you can beat me?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Name your game."

"Spit," she responded with a devious look in her eye.

Kisame dealt the cards in silence and the game began. The tension in the air from the competitive nature of both players almost palpable, the only sound the swift click of the cards and the squeak of the bedsprings from the force as they slammed the cards down between them.

Both paused as no more plays were available, "Spit!" Sakura yelled and the both flipped cards from the draw pile, resuming game. In another flurry of movement, cards were slapped down as the game resumed.

"Well, would you look at this?" Sakura heckled. "I've only got the cards in my hand left, but _you _have that _who-o-ole _stack over there."

Kisame smiled maliciously and in a flurry of movement slammed down card after card, not allowing Sakura to place even one. Sakura eyed the cards in her hand, frowning, because they were so far apart. She held four, while Kisame only had two remaining after his last play.

Both paused, neither able to play again, and Kisame taunted, "I thought you were doing so well over there, kunoichi, what happened? You haven't even played a card in the last few minutes."

"Spit!" Sakura yelled in displeasure, flipping from the draw pile. Kisame quickly flipped the card on his side and playing resumed. Sakura slammed a card viciously onto the left pile, while Kisame slammed a card on the right pile.

"One card, Kunoichi. Ooooh, whatcha gonna do?"

"Shuddap," she scowled. "Spit."

Sakura laid two cards while Kisame was unable to move.

"Spit."

Neither could move.

"Spit."

"AH!" Sakura screamed throwing down her last two cards. Her feet slammed into the bed as she proceeded to do a little happy dance, taunting him all the while.

Kisame glared, and scooped up the cards, jumping around her moving feet and said, "again!"

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

A lone figure stood in the shadows, watching and waiting.

Itachi appeared before the shadowed figure, his nod of greeting was returned before the shadow spoke. "For what purpose have you called me here, Itachi?

"I am in need of a trustworthy research team with someone who is versed in advanced bloodline techniques."

"When?" the shadow asked.

"Two days."

"How long?"

"As long as it takes."

With a curt nod, the shadowed figure turned and disappeared in a swirl of his cloak.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Sakura stared at the large mammal in front of her with some trepidation. It was not that Sakura didn't like animals, quite the contrary. She loved life and every beauty it represented. Was there anything more breathtaking than a new mother cradling her first babe? More serene than the sound of water pattering on leaves as it rained?

No, what bothered her was the idea of getting on it's back. Sakura had seen it done; she had even seen Naruto do it, but had never done so herself.

Itachi swung up into the saddle with practiced ease as if he had done it hundreds of times before.

_Show off! _Sakura inwardly shook her fist at him.

He held a hand down to her, but she backed up a step to bump into the solid mass that was Kisame. She glanced up at him over her shoulder. He was giving her _that smile, _the one she hated.

"Not scared of a little horsey are you?" Kisame taunted.

Before Sakura could form a reply, he grabbed her around the waist and plopped her in the saddle behind Itachi. She stuck her tongue out at his back and he responded by flipping her the bird without turning around.

Sakura quickly found her attention shifted as she was jerked backwards when Itachi kicked their ride into motion. She sought for anything to grab onto to prevent herself from falling. Not liking her options, her arms clutched to Itachi's midsection with a death grip, her face buried against his back.

Once she got over the initial shock of inertia, Sakura slackened her grip on Itachi, embarrassed that she had been clutching to him like a fearful child. Her intimates were pressed a little too intimately against his backside, but she had no room to shift away. She leaned slightly to the side to see around him, and the wind caught her full in the face.

Were Sakura the girl she once was, she would have been concerned about her hair tangling in the wind. Her younger self would also have been concerned that the salty, damp wind would ruin her delicate complexion. But Sakura was no longer that girl, and she found that she enjoyed the feeling of the wind whipping her hair into a frazzled mess and the cool, damp air rushing against her face, and making a thunderous noise in her ears. In those uninhibited moments, she could almost pretend that she was there by choice and the hardened muscles pressing against her were those of the man who she had chosen to ride double saddle with.

And then a slight falter in the horse's step had her clutching to Itachi for dear life again. She could swear she heard a chuckle over the sound of the roaring wind, but his back remained solidly unmoving and she had no way to tell if it was her overactive imagination or not.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Sai faced Tsunade's desk in a rigid militant stance. Shizune stood next to the Hokage listening to his report.

"What do you mean you lost her trail?" Tsunade's voice carried a hard edge that only the foolhardy would ignore.

"We found traces of her in the hotel, which my messenger bird relayed. We followed the trail to a costal town outside of Konoha where we lost the trail."

"You already said all of that," Tsunade said impatiently. "Did they take a boat?"

"Indeterminate," came his curt reply.

"Well, what _do _you know?" Tsunade slammed her hand against the desk making everything including Shizune jump.

Sai paused for a second; when he spoke, his voice carried some of the emotions, which he had previously hidden. "I know that my teammate and friend is gone. I know that we lost her trail and cannot pick it up again." Sai's voice increased in volume as his level of agitation rose, "I know that the villagers of that crappy little town know more than they are letting on, and I suspect that Sakura was taken to Mist."

Tsunade eyed the young man before her and released a pent up sigh, seeming to deflate. All the things going wrong right now were not his fault.

"Mist, huh?" She paused, seemingly lost in thought for several seconds before refocusing on the young man before her. "Thank you, Sai, you are dismissed."

Sai bowed stiffly before exiting her office.

"Shizune?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Who is our best diplomatic emissary?"

Shizune walked over to a bookshelf and pulled down a fat tome. Flipping through the pages until she found the one she desired. She ran her finger down the page, stopping on a name.

"Hige Nobuko," Shizune murmured, tapping the page.

"Nobuko, huh? Send for him immediately. He is taking a trip to Mist."

"Yes, Hokage," Shizune said, returning the book to its rightful place before bowing slightly and departing the room.

Tsunade sat behind her desk, steepling her fingers together. A messenger had arrived earlier from Naruto explaining that there were no signs of Orochimaru.

There was a pyro on the loose who had yet to be caught; they had lost three buildings in the past two weeks, one of which was last night. Absolutely no progress had been made on Sasuke's condition, which was frustrating to no end. Three failed missions had reported back, one of which had casualties. She hadn't even finalized a quarter of that morning's paperwork, and had a meeting with a Rock Country emissary in the afternoon. And now this. A pounding headache was beginning to form, and the day was only half over.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

Sakura stumbled gracelessly when her feet hit the ground. Her inner thighs felt like jelly -bruised jelly. Since the battle in Mist the day before, she had only caught catnaps here and there, leaving her in a foul mood.

Itachi and Kisame both dismounted gracefully; neither seemed affected by the lack of sleep. This only served to further sour Sakura's mood. _Damn men! Make me ride that stupid smelly mammal for half the day! I'm gonna put laxative in your soup next time I make dinner. That'll show you assholes! _

But even the inner ranting which normally helped to relieve some tension didn't help. She wanted to lay down in a soft, cushy bed and sleep, preferably with an ice pack on the raw meat that her inner thighs had become.

Instead, Sakura slumped down on the hard rocky ground against a large boulder and fell into a light doze immediately.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW

A shadow momentarily blocked out the sunlight falling on Sakura's sleeping eyelids; she came up swinging. Kisame caught her chakra-laden fist by grabbing her wrist. Sakura paused. _Why the hell am I following them so docilely? As if I were waiting for Naruto to save me? They still have yet to explain what their intentions are. For all I know, they will kill or rape me when we get to wherever it is that we are going. Shouldn't I be making this as difficult as possible? Yet here I am treating them as if they were teammates. Screw this! _

Since Sakura _had _been behaving herself lately, both Itachi and Kisame had relaxed their guard more around her. Samehada lay next to Kisame's pack, propped up against a boulder.

Sakura allowed her expression to relax into one of recognition and gave all outward signs of the fight having gone out of her. When Kisame released her and turned to walk away, she was on him in an instant.

Itachi watched the scene unfold from several meters away, and didn't have enough time to react before Kisame was slumped unconscious. _He's not going to be happy when he wakes up,_ Itachi internalized even as he reacted.

Sakura was ready for him, and had formed hand seals behind Kisame's body as he fell, so Itachi only caught part of the technique. His sharingan followed the complicated swirling chakra patterns through her internal coils as he quickly tried to ascertain what jutsu she had used and how to counter it. She watched him watch her with his swirling sharingan; in reality it was only a few seconds before Itachi reacted.

He came at her, and Sakura kept her face impassive. She feigned left and moved to the right, but he predicted her movements and was there already. Sakura's fingers brushed the back of his neck as she spun away, but he was faster and landed a crippling blow to her side, breaking several ribs. Sakura went down, gasping for breath, and Itachi stood over her impassively, but frowned at her pained smirk.

"Checkmate," she whispered.

Itachi froze as he felt foreign chakra in his system. His mind quickly realized the small touch to the back of his neck had allowed her chakra entry. An odd sensation of being disconnected from everything overcame Itachi and he felt the compelling need to walk toward the cliff. His body had already begun to move of its own accord.

He turned toward the cliff in front of him and began walking towards it. He found the edge so fascinating. Rationally, he knew this was her jutsu at work, but he had no control over his body. It was like she had turned him into a puppet. But he had watched Sasori enough times, there had been no chakra threads connecting her to him.

Another footstep closer. At least he was able to slow the technique by resisting, perhaps buying some time. He was about ten feet from the edge but the desire to continue was just as strong.

Sakura watched grimly as her jutsu took form, it almost seemed unreal the way he had played right into her trap. She could see him resisting from the rigidity of his muscles. If he managed to break the jutsu, he was going to definitely want retribution.

She used chakra to numb her side, which eased her breathing slightly. And then she set the worst bones using chakra to reinforce and cushion temporarily as she had nothing to bind them with.

This was one of those times where she wished that chakra would knit the bones as well. Unfortunately, there were limits to what she could do. A skilled medic could expand and shrink blood vessels to promote blood to flow to certain areas to facilitate the natural healing power everybody had. They could also impede the electrical current to nerves to numb an area, and even solidify chakra inside the body to grab onto something without having to make an incision. However, healing was not magic and could not instantly knit bones and tissue back together.

She glanced at Itachi; something akin to guilt flashed through her. There was no doubt that he would die from that fall. The face of the wall was rocky, and it stood far above sea level. Without control of his body, he would be unable to protect himself from the impact.

Finished with her field patch, Sakura noted Kisame was still unconscious and quickly released the horses, sending them running. She grabbed some provisions from the packs next to Samehada, and with a last glance at Itachi who was less than five feet from the edge, she took off.

Itachi looked down; he was about than three feet from the cliff edge and the wind caught his hair and cloak, causing them to billow around him. He was calm despite the fact that he was about to die. How many times had he stared death in the face? It was bound to happen sooner or later.

The sea was far below; an uneven rock wall tapered into it. Jagged rocks would slow his descent, no doubt.

He had heard Sakura's departure. It had been several minutes since the horses had let out shrill whinnies before bolting, the sound of their hooves diminishing in the distance. Had his situation been less dire and aggravating, he may have been amused that she had chosen to go on foot rather than ride. Now the only sounds were the sea, the wind, and the scrapping shuffle of his feet moving across the rocky cliff.

The view was better now as he was at the edge. One more step would send him plunging to his death. All of his attempts to break her jutsu had been in vain. A small thrill of exhilaration filled Itachi as his foot stepped into air and he found himself falling forward.

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW


End file.
